Presidency annual report on the implementation of the EU joint action on small arms and light weapons and on the implementation of the EU programme for preventing and combatting illicit trafficking in conventional arms.

Legal base:



Department:

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Basis of consideration:

Minister's letter of 25 October 2001

Previous Committee Report:

HC 152-ii (2001-02), paragraph 10 (17 October 2001)

Discussed in Council:

25 June 2001

Committee's assessment:

Politically important

Committee's decision:

Cleared

The Joint Action

11.1 On 16 December 1998, we cleared the EU Joint
Action on small arms and light weapons in draft form.[19]
Since then, we have cleared a number of measures based on it which
seek to limit the spread of small arms in different parts of the
world.

11.2 The Joint Action includes a number of objectives,
principles and measures, including combatting the destabilising
accumulation and uncontrolled spread of small arms, reducing existing
accumulations to levels consistent with legitimate security needs,
and helping to solve the problems which these accumulations cause.
The EU pledges in the Joint Action to work towards building consensus
in international fora on commitments to support these objectives.

The EU programme for Preventing and Combatting
Illicit Trafficking in Conventional Arms

11.3 This programme was adopted by the General
Affairs Council on 26 June 1997. It seeks to address the problems
of illicit trafficking in conventional arms, particularly small
arms, both within the EU and in countries affected by illicit
trafficking.

The report

11.4 A first annual report on the Programme was
published on 8 July 1998, and a second on 19 January 2000. The
reporting procedure under the Programme has now been co-ordinated
with that of the Joint Action. This is the first co-ordinated
report. It covers activities undertaken in 1999 as well as 2000.
In Part II, it notes that several Member States have been active
in organising and participating in international conferences and
that the EU took an active interest in preparations for the UN
Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons
in all its Aspects and endorsed Sir Michael Weston as the EU candidate
to chair the Conference, which was due to take place in New York
on 9 - 20 July 2001.

11.5 When we considered the report on 17 October,
we asked the Government to inform us of the outcome of the UN
Conference.

The Minister's letter

11.6 In a letter dated 25 October, the Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
(Mr Ben Bradshaw) responds, commenting that he gave the UK ministerial
statement at the Conference and that the UK worked actively before
and during the Conference for a positive outcome. He says:

"Given the complexity
and sensitivity of the issues, the adoption of a Programme of
Action that sets out national, regional and global initiatives
to stem the flow of small arms to the developing world was a major
achievement. The Programme of Action commits states politically
to put in place export control mechanisms, and measures to ensure
the traceability of small arms, to control arms brokers, and to
destroy surplus weapons. It encourages regional moratoria on the
manufacture and transfer of small arms and legally binding regional
agreements to eradicate the illicit trade in them. There will
be a Review Conference in 2006.

"The Programme of Action does not address all
the key issues but it does formalise and globalise the need and
means for action to combat the destabilising accumulations and
uncontrolled spread of small arms, the primary instruments of
death and injury in conflicts and criminal acts worldwide. We,
our EU Partners and others were unable to persuade the United
States, for example, to agree to the inclusion of civilian possession
and sales to non-State actors in the Programme of Action. The
US has since stated it is 'strongly committed' to its universal
implementation. We will, however, at regular intervals and at
a senior level, continue to press the US on the need for greater
flexibility in the longer term on these issues.

"In my speech to the Conference, I announced
that the UK had allocated £19.5 million over the next three
years to support various projects worldwide to curb the proliferation
of small arms. The Government will ensure that its work, both
nationally and with the EU and OSCE, as well as NGOs, is consistent
with and supportive of the aims and actions agreed by the Conference,
both in policy terms and in moving forward with country- and region-specific
projects."

Conclusion

11.7 We drew the attention of the House to
the high priority attached to a successful outcome to this United
Nations Conference by the General Affairs Council and we now thank
the Minister for informing us of the outcome, which he describes
as a major achievement. We note that, with the European Union
partners and others, the Government attempted to persuade the
United States Government to agree to the inclusion of civilian
possession and sales to non-State actors in the Programme of Action.
Although unsuccessful on this occasion, the Minister tells us
that the Government will continue to press the United States on
the need for greater flexibility on these issues. We support these
efforts.